I love this game

Alrighty, we're only talking hoops tonight, so let's get started because there's a lot to talk about:

• Minnesota 60, Wisconsin 50. As of now, the Gophers are in, which would give the Big 10 4 bids. Vincent Grier was amazing, scoring 26 of his 32 in the 2nd half. In fact, he scored as many points in the 2nd half as the whole Wisconsin team did. The Gophers were too athletic for the Badgers, evidenced by the Badgers turning the ball over an uncharacteristically 17 times.
• Arizona 90, Stanford 72. The Arizona we were looking for showed up, which wasn't the case for Stanford. When Channing Frye is involved, Arizona is unbeatable. Today, he had 15 points and 13 rebounds. He opens the door for everyone else, including Salim Stoudamire, who had 27. Stanford is now 6-5 in a mediocre Pac10. As of now, they're out.
• Duke 82, Georgia Tech 65. Tech might as well play 3 on 5 because the only guys that do anything for them are Jack, Bynum, and Schenscher. Duke only shot 38% from the floor, but they made 11 3s and outhustled and outtoughed the Jackets, which was the difference. Tech is now 4-5 in the ACC, tied with Maryland, whom they've lost to. They, honestly, would be out right now.
• Auburn 90, Mississippi St. 76. Are you kidding? This loss puts the Bulldogs at 5-4 in the SEC, 3rd in the West. This was a team they beat by 37 just a month ago. They beat Florida, but lost to LSU. They're on the bubble whether they like it or not.
• George Washington 74, Temple 58. Temple is out, for sure, this year. If GW can win the A-10 West (now tied for 1st), and make it to the A-10 finals, they should get in.
  
• Michigan State 75, Iowa 64. The Hawkeyes were game, but 29% shooting won't win you any ball games. Iowa's looking at the NIT, which has to be disappointing after making it to the Maui finals earlier in the year. The Big 10 will get no more than 4 bids.
• Florida 85, Alabama 54. So maybe Alabama isn't the best team in the SEC. This result blindsided me, especially after the way Florida looked in Starkville earlier in the week. The Gators played a near perfect game, shooting 48%, getting 4 in doublefigures, and only committing 5 turnovers. Kentucky comes calling this week, so we'll see if the Gators are for real or their usual inconsistent selves.
  
• Miami 75, Maryland 73. Both teams are squarely on the bubble, which is good for The U, but not good for Maryland. The U's superstars stepped up, (Diaz led the way with 27), while the Terps' didn't (Gilchrist and Caner-Medley combined for just 16).
• Miami 77, Buffalo 74. I had the pleasure of watching this game in person. The Redhawks trailed by 17 at one point in the 2nd half, and by 10 with 3 minutes left, but William Hatcher hit 3 3s, the third sending the game into overtime. Miami retains the #1 spot in the MAC, but they travel to the new Best of the West, Ball State Wednesday.
• Iowa St. 92, Texas 80. Texas better be careful. The Longhorns are now just 4-4 in the Big 12, and all of their earlier quality wins will be thrown out since P.J. Tucker is no longer with the team. The Longhorns are heading for the bubble.
• Charlotte 91, Cincinnati 90. There was zero defense played in this game. Both teams put 5 in double figures, and neither team committed more than 10 turnovers. These two teams are 3-4 in Conference USA behind Louisville and UAB in my opinion.
• Washington 82, UCLA 70. The Bruins blew a chance to claim 3rd in the Pac10 by themselves with the loss in Seattle. The Huskies will be a sleeper in March, I'm convinced of that, especially if they get a good draw.
• Davidson 78, UNC Greensboro 69. Davidson is now 11-0 in the Southern Conference. If they go on and make the NCAAs, they will be a dangerous 14 seed that could knock off a 3 seed that isn't playing well.
• Louisville 77, UAB 73. Louisville is for real, and UAB is very good. The first half was played at the Blazers' pace, up and down the floor with no respit. Louisville hung in, then controlled the tempo in the 2nd half by making it a more half-court game, putting the ball in Francisco Garcia's hands. But UAB was still good enough to stay close, with their hustle and the point guard play of Squeaky Johnson, who had 9 assists. Louisville showed they can play half-court and full-court defense, and have 5 viable options on offense. On a side note, Jason Williams, the former Duke star did the color for this game, and for his first game ( I believe), he did pretty well.
  
• Northern Iowa 67, Southern Illinois 61. The Salukis are now 17-6, 8-3 in the Valley, a game behind Wichita St. Their quality wins are at Vanderbilt and at UTEP. I believe they need to win out and make the finals of their conference tournament to get in if they don't win their conference tournament.
• Syracuse 60, Notre Dame 57. The Irish led by 11 with 6 minutes left when they went braindead. Turnovers, a technical foul on coach Mike Brey, and poor shot selection allowed the Cuse to come back and win.
• Texas Tech 88, Oklahoma 81. Bob Knight has his big win, and his team looks good for the Dance as of today. 57% shooting and forcing 20 turnovers were enough to overcome Oklahoma's 15 offensive rebounds.
• Old Dominion 74, UNC Wilimington 63. The Monarchs have a stranglehold on the #1 seed in the Colonial, but need to win the conference tournament to get in.

Tomorrow, the only noteworthy games are Indiana/Illinois (can the Hoosiers pull a Milan and shock the basketball world), and North Carolina/Florida St. (can the Noles catch UNC looking ahead to Duke on Wed. night).

Super Bowl prediction: Patriots 24, Eagles 13. MVP: Tom Brady